December 03, 2010

The Baptist Times has announced today that the Rev Dr Peter K. Stevenson will be the new principal of South Wales Baptist College when the current principal John Weaver retires next summer. Peter has occupied different positions at Spurgeon's College for the last fifteen years, currently head of continuing ministerial development. He has a PhD on the incarnational theology of John McLeod Campbell (King's College London, 2001, supervised by Murray Rae). He has a good track record in publishing on preaching.

Publications

God in our nature: the incarnational theology of John McLeod Campbell (Paternoster, 2004)

This is a new book from Ian McFarland on the doctrine of original sin. Since McFayden's Bound to Sin (Cambridge, 2000), it seems there have been a flurry of books on sin - Tatha Wiley's Original Sin (2002); Mark Biddle's Missing the Mark (2005); Matt Jenson's The Gravity of Sin; Alan Jacobs' Original Sin: A Cultural History (2008); and Gary Anderson's Sin: A History (2009) and due out next year is a treatise on original sin by Oliver Crisip (Oxford, 2011) and further into the future might also be a monograph by John Colwell. McFarland's book, like McFayden's before it, is partly seeking to see deal with the problems associated with original sin and to reconstruct the doctrine for today.

This engaging and scholarly book offers refreshingly original insights into the contemporary relevance of the Christian doctrine of original sin – one that has inspired fierce debate for the last two millennia.Challenges the many prevailing opinions about the Christian doctrine of original sin, arguing that it is not only theological defensible, but stimulating and productive for a life of faithShows how it is possible to affirm the universality of sin without losing sight of the distinct ways in which individuals both participate in and suffer the consequences of sinful behaviorBalances historic and contemporary criticism with original theological arguments; combining the substance of a traditional Augustinian doctrine of sin with the pastoral and social concerns of contemporary contextual theologiesProvides a depth and range of engagement with contemporary criticism of traditional doctrine that is lacking in other recent treatments of the topic.

The next issue of Regent's Reviews will contain a review. The major downside of McFarland's volume is Wiley-Blackwell have (currently) only published it in hardback, which limit those who can afford to buy it.

... Campbell’s book is masterful and powerful reading of Paul. Its sheer scope, argumentative force, creative originality, and theological agenda make it required reading for every NT scholar. It will, undoubtedly, ruﬄe many feathers and invite harsh critiques as virtu- ally every chapter is rife with controversial arguments, but ultimately scholarly construals of Paul will be better off for listening closely to the multifaceted arguments of The Deliverance of God.